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Long Branch Anti-Bullying Crew Visits New York

Long Branch Middle School team earns a smile, wave from the First Lady

The Anti-Bullying Crew, all Long Branch Middle School eighth graders, took their song “Bullying We’ll Stop It” on a hoped-for promotional campaign to Radio City Music Hall in New York on Wednesday.

Complete with huge posters and a video presentation that was broadcast on ABC’s “Eyewitness News” later that evening, they wanted to spread the message to stop the bullying in schools, and elsewhere.

They achieved the attention and support they sought from the media and music star Enrique Iglesias, who acknowledged the crew's song on his website.

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They also got a big smile and a well-deserved wave of approval from First Lady Michelle Obama, who noticed their stop bullying posters and heard their song on her way for an interview to promote healthy eating.

The First Lady’s wave was the highlight of the day, the students said as they were interviewed on their return from a cold but happy trip to the city.  Teacher/ mentor Courtney Davis said that Mrs. Obama’s wave was the favorite thing that happened for the students, who talked about the First Lady's wave most of the way home. 

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In addition to Davis, the trip was mentored by teachers Jamie Sanders, Lori Olson and Kristen Catrambone.  

“All the teachers and school staff were supporting us back at the Middle School. It was a true team activity,” said Catrambone, who is a TV broadcasting/media teacher.

The video was produced, directed, and performed by the eighth-grade students with the help and guidance of the four teachers. It portrays scenes of a school girl being bullied in several different school situations. It also suggests some measures to thwart bullying, and is a great classroom study and discussion tool. The idea is for other schools to use the video in their classes. It can help others outside school as well, students said. 

The project began in October, when students heard the news of a Rutgers University student’s suicide after he was bullied by classmates. Moved by the sadness of the event, the eighth-grade students decided to take action. Some students spoke of their own experiences of being bullied.  They said the experience made them feel left out, unaccepted, alone, embarrassed, forsaken, a failure, and not liked.

As the distressing idea developed it became a class idea to use the experience to good purpose. The idea, a theme for helping others, became a poem, and a song, with the actual words being composed through discussion among the students in the class. The idea became a class project.

In time, the project became a once a week get together to bring the theme to life.  The song “I Like It” by Enrique Iglesias has the right beat for the song, the students agreed.  They decided to adopt it as a base for the story meant to stop bullying.

Iglesias was contacted for permission to use the lyrics in a remix of his song, and he was delighted.   His music, along with the Long Branch Middle School words became “Bullying We’ll Stop It.”  Iglesias liked it so much that he has added it to his web and Facebook pages.  On his web page he posted a link to the song on his Twitter and said, "Great work!"

The project began as a secret plan known only by the students involved – their decision, teachers Sanders and Davis said.

Later it required some reaching out to others at the school. The students went to the school administrators, to Superintendent of Schools Joseph Ferraina and to Lori Olson, who was essential to guiding the dance choreography. The project had taken on the work of creating a video for use in spreading the ideas to stop bullying. That concept remains as the students' primary purpose, to stop bullying. 

Catrambone took the idea and the students into the school’s media studio where the video production was planned. Students designed the video theme and produced the video.

“Also credit the LBMS students who helped the project whenever we asked," Catrambone said. "When the secret was out, we had universal support."

Catrambone also thanked the community, “the businesses and residents who gave their special talents and work effort to the project.

“We needed shirts with bold letters for the Anti-Bullying theme and we got them," Catrambone said. "We needed a sound system in a classroom (the media room classroom) and it was done by a business volunteer. No charge. It was wonderful how all got behind the students.”

The Anti-Bullying Student Team is comprised of students Heron Anderson, Jabriel Belhadj, Bruna Bessa, Ishmael Best, Grant Brown, Deja Burks, Ciera Davis, Dax Davis, Justin Farnsworth, Caroline Ferreira, Emir Hamzie, Allana Harrell, Jah-Alliah Holiday, Khalil King, Steven Kologi, Luis F Martins, Jason Morataya, Ariana Murray, Kayla Nunes, Astrid Olivera, Axel Perez, Miriam Ponce-Vasquez, Calesha Preddy, Yohana Revelo-Umana, Samantha Rivas, Jessica Rojas, Nichelle Serrano, and Taylor Smith.

The students and teachers also thanked the community, and the "generous contributors” the Seman-Tov Bus Company; Guy Daniels- City Light Recording Studio; and the Firehouse Specialty Shoppe.

More links to the video can be found here

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